Most of the videos you can find of Rubik's Cube-manipulating robots are purpose-built to solve the puzzle in record time. But Baxter, designed as an affordable and easy-to-teach replacement for assembly line workers, isn't designed for any specific task. And that's what makes watching him solve a cube even more…

It's assumed that one day factory line robots will eventually take over all aspects of manufacturing, freeing humans from the monotony of repetitive tasks. But integrating a robot into an assembly line is incredibly expensive and complicated—and Rethink Robotics hopes to eliminate those roadblocks with Baxter.